HomeMy Public PortalAboutBrewster School Committee -- 2018-03-15 Minutes ;,,; ; :'•,. ; Brewster School Committee
March 15, 2018
Pr$s` enflor the Committee : Jessica Larsen, Claire Gradone, David Telman and Marie
IA ,t
Enochty
Absent: Robert Miller
Present for the Admnistration : Thomas Conrad, Keith Gauley, Giovanna Venditti,
Patty Allen and Joanna Hughes
Call to Order
Chair Telman called the meeting to order at 6 : 00 p . m.
Citizens Speak - None
Administrative Reports
Principals reports were included in the packet and there were no questions or
comments .
Assistant Superintendent Gauley' s report was included in the packet.
Superintendent Conrad distributed the Memorandum for Understanding with the
Cape Cod Collaborative relative to the bus transportation. He indicated that they
settled on the configuration of buses, are looking at maintenance, as well as fuel .
Paul Hilton has met with the current drivers .
He thanked Barry Schofield and his crew for their work in getting the buildings
ready after the storms .
He reported that the building committee has been chosen for the Nauset High School
renovation project. The subcommittee is working on the Owner' s Project Manager.
The chair of the committee, Greg Levasseur, Giovanna Venditti and the
Superintendent visited the MSBA a few weeks ago and were selected to go into the
Feasibility Study,
Wellfleet Elementary School is taking over the after school program in Wellfleet and
will be hiring three new people. The town is going to fund the program in its first
year in an attempt to try and bring Wellfleet students back to the program and the
school . Enrollment at Wellfleet will be 83 students next year as 27 fifth graders go
on to the Middle School . Eastham also has a big fifth grade going on to the Middle
School of 39 students .
It was noted that Wellfleet has a Universal PreK model offered to families in the
form of a voucher system.
Whitecaps
Chris Kenny, President of the Brewster Whitecaps, addressed the committee
requesting electrical work to obtain high quality video - streaming broadcasts for the
Cape Cod Baseball League . Bayside Electric is doing a site visit to ten locations on
the Cape to see what each team has right now. He requested the School Committee
allow Bayside Electric to perform an audit at Stony Brook elementary School field. If
there are any installations required, the Committee will be updated. Cameras will
be taken in after every game .
MOTION:
On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Jessica Larsen, it was voted
unanimously to allow Bayside Electric to do an audit for their work for the Brewster
Whitecaps .
Field maintenance, fertilizer and grub control, was also discussed. It was requested
that the applications be placed on the field during April vacation .
MOTION:
On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Jessica Larsen, it was voted
unanimously to approve the field application.
FY18 Budget
Giovanna Venditti, Director of Finance and Operations, reported that Stony Brook
Elementary has a balance of $ 137, 607 . She reviewed line items with significant
changes since last month. Eddy Elementary School has a negative balance of -
$ 52 , 062 . She reviewed the line items with significant changes . The paperwork to
apply for Extraordinary Relief has been submitted and she will keep the Committee
updated . There are three additional students that have an unanticipated placement
and costs have been projected out until the end of the year.
School Choice
On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Jessica Larsen, it was voted
unanimously to enter into the Public Hearing for School Choice at 6 : 23 p . m.
The Superintendent recommended that the schools not participate in the program
next year.
Motion :
On a motion by Claire Gradone, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted
unanimously not to participate in school choice for the 201 & 2019 school year.
On a motion by Marie Enochty, seconded by Claire Gradone, it was voted to close the
Public Hearing on School Choice at 6 : 25 p . m.
Possible Consolidation Subcommittee
Chair Telman requested that the subcommittee meet with the Superintendent ofver
the next 34 weeks, review the letter from the Town Administrator and come back
to the committee with talking points .
r
Claire Gradone requested the subcommittee be given a charge . Marie Enochty
suggested drafting a timeline as how to proceed, discussions with public and the
possibilities for keeping the two buildings or not keeping two buildings . Data
regarding the number of classrooms, class size, specialists ' areas and quality of the
programming be discussed. Chair Telman indicated the school committee members
have the data and now there has to be further discussion.
Jessica Larsen indicated the Eddy School cannot fit into the Stony Brook School.
Chair Telman asked that the subcommittee prove that students cannot fit into one
building. Marie Enochty suggested looking five years out and then have the difficult
discussion, what would it have to look like to move into one building? If enrollment
declines to X amount of students and we have X amount of classrooms, then the
committee would know what they are looking for in the future. She suggested the
committee do some long-term planning and also stated that the committee may
never get to that point.
Jessica Larsen stated that enrollment is not going down. We are not doing this for
kids . Marie Enochty indicated just because the committee has the discussion does
not mean students are moving into one building. Marie Enochty would like to have
an informed discussion on the topic and would like the committee to do its due
diligence .
Claire Gradone indicated the committee has figures on enrollment and classroom
spaces . She would like to involve the community. Present the facts of current
classroom use for educational purposes only and present for further discussion with
the community.
The Committee toured the two buildings . Marie Enochty would like to know how
many classrooms are available, not small spaces, for PreK - Gr. 5 students ? How
many empty classrooms are there ? Bring back figures of square footage for
classrooms as required by the state . She suggested it was a good time for the
committee to have a visioning session to see what the expectations are, what we
want for our kids, and what we want to maintain .
CHARGE : Present facts of current class use for educational purposes only and
present for further discussion with the community.
The Superintendent indicated that the subcommittee meetings will be public and
posted meetings so that the community can attend.
Chair Telman asked if there is a way to get information on the programs happening
in the small spaces and what is best for kids in those spaces . Chair Telman would
like to restart the discussion and bring this forward to the public ,
REPORTS AND INFORMATION
Preschool Enrollment - Report in packet.
Cape Cod Collaborative - No report
PTO - Claire Gradone indicated they did not meet.
School Council Liaison - No report
Policy Subcommittee : David Telman indicated the subcommittee met and will have
new policies for the committee to vote on for a first reading next month.
Transportation Subcommittee - The Superintendent indicated they are working
with the drivers on bus routes .
Substance Abuse Task Force - Jessica Larsen indicated they have reviewed the
elementary school surveys. They also reviewed a substance use presentation for
elementary schools for conversation. Elementary students in grades 3 , 4, 5 (not
Wellfleet) and 7th and 8th graders will be included in the report.
Marie Enochty mentioned a policy from the state involving the lunch program. This
policy will be coming to the committee next month.
Approval of Minutes
On a motion by Jessica Larsen, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted
unanimously to approve the minutes of February 15 , 2018.
Adjournment
On a motion by Jessica Larsen, seconded by Marie Enochty, it was voted
unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 6 : 55 p .m.
Submitted
Ann M . T